Friendly advice, if you're going to be on codeine or another painkiller, get yourself a stool softener. I'm sure you know the havoc that pain meds cause on your digestive system.

All too familiar. Other recommendations include drinking plenty of water, eating high fiber foods with more frequency, and I also intentionally break up dosing frequency to avoid potential addiction. I've had vicodin prescribed for periods when my nerve pain reaches high levels of severity, primarily to help with sleep (I've had too many sleepless nights due to buzzing, tingling, and pain). My doctor recommended it mainly for nights after softball as my symptoms are typically far worse following strenuous activity, but also for long flights as the default posture during take-off and landing places my shoulder in the worst possible position to impinge my nerve.

We're planning to have easily-accessible water, stool softeners, and high-fiber snacks nearby during my recovery to avoid any painkiller-associated problems. My brother-in-law is also moving in to our guest room to live as my wife's roommate while I'm away at school, and he'll be home to lend a hand while I'm recovering and my wife has to go to work.

Good deal. It sounds like you have all your bases covered. Now it's just waiting for the actual procedure. Tell your wife to log in here and give us an update post-op.

Good deal. It sounds like you have all your bases covered. Now it's just waiting for the actual procedure. Tell your wife to log in here and give us an update post-op.

Will do. She's got an entire list of people to contact following the procedure to let them all know that I've come through okay.

At least those not coming to the hospital to tailgate the surgery and play "asshole" in the waiting room.

And no, I'm not joking. My wife sent out an Evite and a number of friends are coming for support. I think as of today 8 to 10 people have already taken the day off from work with another handful planning to stop by in the evening, either at home or the hospital depending on whether I'm released same-day or forced to spend the night. Evening visitors are expected to include area friends plus all three softball teams I play for.

I have a feeling I'll be discharged from the hospital whether I like it or not once the keg shows up.

I just don't look forward to the incriminating photos prior to my waking up from anesthesia.

« Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 04:31:56 PM by PeteRock »

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

Got one last workout in today, we've got a softball double-header later tonight against an A-league team, then off to the airport well before the sun makes an appearance tomorrow morning to head to Clearwater, FL. Odds are we'll play a bit of beach volleyball, I often get up well before everyone else while at the beach so I'll probably jog and do some body-weight stuff each morning, and then I'll probably dedicate the rest of my time doing 12oz curls. Lots and lots of 12oz curls.

Looking forward to some fun before I return home and have to face surgery. Hopefully deep sea fishing, scalloping, partying, and relaxing at the beach will distract me enough to not worry about it for a few days.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

So after last week and all that shit, I decided that I'm going to get back to the gym for a more "normal" workout routine and forgo Insanity and other home workouts at the moment. I just tracked my first workout with Fitocracy, and man, that site has changed since I last checked it out!

Friday night was my last softball double-header of the season (and probably for many seasons to come). Fielding was a struggle due to a lot of neck pain, but had a good evening at the plate (12 for 14, one was a foul-out and one was a FC). Odds are if I didn't have surgery on Tuesday it would have still been my last night for a while as it was a major struggle due to pain.

Got a solid back/bicep workout in yesterday morning (deadlifts, barbell rows, pull-ups, curls, etc), then frolicked at the pool for the afternoon. Took today off from the gym, but tomorrow I'll get my last workout in before surgery Tuesday morning.

I haven't been too terribly anxious, up until the past couple of days when reality has started to set in, especially following my cervical collar fitting Friday afternoon. That's when shit started to feel real:

I go in at 6:30am Tuesday morning but still don't know if I'll be released same-day or if I'll have to spend the night. It depends on a number of variables, including whether disc replacement will work or if the surgeon has to settle for fusion (depends on how things look once he's "inside"). It also depends on pain management, how I handle anesthesia, etc.

The countdown to Tuesday went a little faster than I would have preferred.

I will have a pretty sweet mafia garrote scar when all is said and done, though.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

My buddy keeps threatening to take me to a strip club to cheer me up, indicating that I won't be able to get away, or even turn away for that matter. So it seems I may get stripper glitter on it as well.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

Yes, negative. I did a personal training program through work and didn't enjoy it at all. I found I felt like I worked out harder on my own than with them. If you need someone to push you it might be a good idea but I feel like if you're mildly knowledgeable you can get it done yourself.

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X360 - Nonnahob

A few nights ago I played a while with Hardon and we had a good time. - PhillyPeteRock

Yes, negative. I did a personal training program through work and didn't enjoy it at all. I found I felt like I worked out harder on my own than with them. If you need someone to push you it might be a good idea but I feel like if you're mildly knowledgeable you can get it done yourself.

It all depends on the trainer. My wife and I used to have an awesome trainer who customized workout routines for both of us and kept tweaking them as we made progress. If you're looking for a trainer through a gym, I would ask the head trainer to set you up with one who best suits your goals.

Yes, negative. I did a personal training program through work and didn't enjoy it at all. I found I felt like I worked out harder on my own than with them. If you need someone to push you it might be a good idea but I feel like if you're mildly knowledgeable you can get it done yourself.

It all depends on the trainer. My wife and I used to have an awesome trainer who customized workout routines for both of us and kept tweaking them as we made progress. If you're looking for a trainer through a gym, I would ask the head trainer to set you up with one who best suits your goals.

Rick covered it. The quality of trainer is strongly influenced by their philosophy, training, adaptability, and personality. Trainers who stick to a cookie-cutter, standardized program aren't worth the money. Those who also adhere to the idea that you need to exercise until you puke or that you aren't making progress unless you despise your routine are terribly mistaken. If you hate what you're doing, you're not likely to stick with it. And sustained high-intensity is not necessarily the most efficient path to results. There are varying philosophies on the subject, but HIIT or circuit training are not the only paths to success. And cardio is not mandatory to lose weight. I know plenty of people (myself included) who lift heavy shit, eat right, and do minimal cardio, all with body fat % around 10 to 14%.

Personal trainers are just that, personal, so you should expect personalized routines geared toward your body type, goals, physical ability, etc. There are good trainers, but I have yet to see one, at least at my gym.

Personally, I'd say educate yourself, determine what your goals are, and get to work. But, if you find yourself getting stuck in the minutia, fixating on what the "best" or "right" routine might be for you, which keeps you from ever actually getting started, then a trainer can cut through that confusion and just get you moving. Otherwise, pick up heavy shit, eat right, and revel in your own awesomeness.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

Today was my last lifting workout before surgery tomorrow. Shoulders/legs day and I managed to hit a few personal bests to go out strong. Personal bests include barbell shrugs at 325lbs, barbell squats at 230lbs, and Romanian deadlifts at 205lbs. Not a bad way to close things out before being out of commission for a while.

Now back to stressing out of my fucking mind. I've been good up until this evening. Now my heart is racing and my stomach is in knots. Time for a few beers to take the edge off. I have until midnight to live it up.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

What are some of the supplements you take for your exercise routines and every day health? I'm looking to add some creatine to my daily diet, so recommendations for that are particularly interesting to me.

What are some of the supplements you take for your exercise routines and every day health? I'm looking to add some creatine to my daily diet, so recommendations for that are particularly interesting to me.

As supplements can be expensive I'm limited by finances, so all I really do is maintain a good intake of protein, water, avoid processed carbohydrates, and while some swear by pre-workout energy drinks, a cup of coffee or two before the gym in the morning does more than enough for me.

In terms of creatine, I only used it back in college and wasn't much of a fan, but knowledge about its use has evolved a great deal since then, but I unfortunately am not a good source of information. I know a lot of people at Fitocracy use it regularly, but I am able to reach personal goals, maintain a healthy physique, develop decent strength, and perform at a level I feel is well above the average 35-year-old, all without specialty supplements and just a quality diet.

Check out Bodybuilding.com and perhaps some of the forum threads at Fitocracy and odds are you'll find out more than you'd ever want to know about creatine along with a deluge of other supplements you may not have even been aware of.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

In terms of "health improvement," the disc replacement surgery seems to have corrected all of the symptoms I had been suffering due to a herniated disc and nerve impingement. No more tingling, numbness, shooting pains, it all seems to be completely gone. Still no determination on whether my loss of strength will be permanent, but that won't be determined until I recover from surgery and get back to strength training.

As part of my recovery I have to go on short walks, which I assumed were to keep my body moving and to avoid remaining too sedentary following the procedure, but I quickly learned that these walks impact my neck and vertebrae tremendously, and so they're intended to strengthen the muscles around the prosthetic implant and also to retrain the impacted area to handle impacts from walking, running, riding in the car, etc.

The most sobering aspect is feeling like my fitness level has been completely reset to the very beginning all over again. While my core and legs, arms, and chest still feel relatively strong, my shoulders are constantly fatigued from the surgery, I've had a fair bit of pain in my back, primarily between my shoulder blades, stemming from the surgery, and so far a 20-minute walk is at the absolute threshold of my physical capability.

I've been trying to complete a lap around the park at the end of our street, and three days following surgery I made it halfway to the park, but by that point I almost had to call my wife to pick me up. The following day I made it all the way to the park, but didn't have anything left in me to go any further. Sunday I completed an entire lap around the park, my total distance covered being around 1/3 of a mile, but on the way back I once again feared having to call my wife to come get me. Moving around the house is bearable, but walks put a fairly consistent repetitive strain on my spine and have proven challenging to say the least.

But, considering I had the disc replacement surgery done on Tuesday, it is less than a week later and I hope to cover about 1/2 mile today. Sometime this week I also hope to hit a mile or better, but I don't want to push too hard too soon as all advice has been to "take it slow." Unfortunately that isn't in my nature. My wife gave me a pretty good reaming on Sunday morning when she caught me vacuuming the living room, putting dishes away, and cleaning up around the house. At least with each passing day my doubts about being physically ready to start pharmacy school on the 13th of August continue to dissipate.

Man do I miss the gym. And playing competitive sports. And being able to swallow comfortably. And being able to cough without almost passing out from the pain. Fortunately I have yet to sneeze since surgery.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

Man do I miss the gym. And playing competitive sports. And being able to swallow comfortably. And being able to cough without almost passing out from the pain. Fortunately I have yet to sneeze since surgery.

That made me think of the first time I sneezed post hernia surgery. It felt like my intestines and testicles were fighting for a chance to breathe fresh air at the same time.

That made me think of the first time I sneezed post hernia surgery. It felt like my intestines and testicles were fighting for a chance to breathe fresh air at the same time.

I cannot even imagine. The first time I coughed I thought my trachea was going to blow out of the incision in my neck. And my cough wasn't even much of a cough, instead sounding more like a pathetic whimper.

Even burping is unpleasant. Seriously? Makes drinking beer a little less satisfying. But only a little.

I will say that I feel absolutely ridiculous taking walks around the local park as my "exercise." Yesterday I made the turn to complete a full lap and felt a great feeling of satisfaction, until an old woman, a mother pushing a stroller, and a dog walker all passed me like I needed a walker. It didn't help that I wondered if I'd need to sit on a nearby bench before making it the rest of the way home.

When I get home I need to sit down for a moment and self-medicate with a cold beer.

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

I've started something called Lean Gains/Intermittent Fasting about 3 weeks ago and have had fantastic results. The basics are that you fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining 8 hours. For me, I eat my first meal at 11am and the last before 7pm. I work out 1st thing in the morning and take BCAA prior to working out.

So far, I'm down about 4lbs in 3 weeks, and have leaned out a lot than I have previously in recent memory.